The Uses of Institutions: The United Nations for Legitimacy

Abstract

Both Japan and the United States expected the United Nations to provide a venue to realize their foreign policy to achieve their national interest. Yet both have discovered that such expectations are not fully met by the institution. Not withstanding, however, both have discovered that the UN provides a forum through which governments can legitimate its policies to both international and domestic constituents. This chapter examines how Japan has used the UN in its security and foreign policy over the past 60 years and contrasts that experience with the United States. Both the United States and Japan have used the UN at differing degrees in legitimizing their respective foreign policy and both have experienced excitement, frustration, and disenchantment with it. While the United States as the founder of the organization held high expectations for the UN in realizing its national interest, it was soon disappointed with its utility; Japan, on the other hand, had embraced a utopian view of the UN. Japan, too, has been disappointed with the limitations of the UN due to the paralysis of the Security Council emanating from the East—West confrontation during the cold war, and due to the failures of the UN reform including its permanent seat on the Security Council. Nonetheless, rather than developing an antipathy to the UN, Japan has remained to embrace idiosyncratic view of the organization and used the UN, even at the rhetorical level, to legitimize its security and foreign policy. At different times, Japan has used the UN as an institution to guarantee its sovereignty and international citizenship and legitimize its bilateral alliance with the United States; it now uses the UN as an institution to legitimize its adoption of a global security role as well as an alliance partner more proactive and sometimes aggressive in nature.